On Monday, the 15th President of India will be elected, kicking off the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.
The Press Registration Periodicals Bill is one of 24 bills that the Centre is anticipated to introduce during the session. The Weapons of Mass Destruction and Their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill would be discussed on the opening day of the Monsoon Session, according to sources. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged the lawmakers to engage in substantive conversation on issues of public concern, hours before the start of the legislative session.
“The Monsoon Session of Parliament will begin at 11 am. It is the expectation of the people of the country that there should be a meaningful discussion in the House on the subjects related to them. Members should think and communicate positively on the issues of the country’s interest. Hope all the parties will contribute to this by enriching the dignity and decency of the House,” stated the Lok Sabha Speaker in a tweet.
According to reports, Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu asked for everyone’s assistance on Sunday, in order to give the House a meaningful and fruitful session as a “farewell present.”
Sources claim that Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge presented a list of 16 topics for debate during the monsoon session. Federalism being under pressure, the Agnipath plan, rising prices and unchecked inflation, a decline in labour force participation, rising EPF interest rates, and a loss of trust in institutions like the Election Commission, CBI, and CVC are just a few of these.
Additionally, discussions will include foreign threats to national security, hate speech, undemocratic acts against opposition leaders, an increase in crime in Jammu & Kashmir, attacks on Kashmiri intellectuals, reservations in the promotion process, and the private sector.
The Indian Antarctica Bill is still pending. The Central Universities Amendment Bill is one of the new legislations that will be submitted to the Parliament during the Monsoon Session.
The Registration of Press and Periodicals Bill, 2019, which will cover the digital news media business for the first time, is about to be introduced into law by the Indian government. The Press Registration Periodicals Bill, 2022, is the one that is most significant among them. The Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act, 1867, which regulates newspapers and printing presses in India, is intended to be replaced by this bill. For the first time in India, there will be rules governing digital media. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting would oversee the regulation of digital media if the bill is approved.
The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2019, (pertaining to the state of Assam), the Mediation Bill, 2021 (with standing committee chaired by Sushil Kumar Modi), the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (report of standing committee under examination), and the Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian Bill, 2019, are some of the other bills on the government’s agenda.
Some other bills are the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2019, the Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 (report of standing committee under review). In the forthcoming session, the First Batch of Supplementary Demand for Grants (General) and the related Appropriation Bill will also be presented.
The government has not included the privatisation of two public sector banks or the regulation of crypto assets on the list of bills to be submitted during the Monsoon Session. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had stated in her budget address for the fiscal year 2021–2022: “We propose to take up the privatisation of two public sector banks and one general insurance company in the year 2021-22. This would require legislative amendments and I propose to introduce the amendments in this Session itself.”
Four Parliamentary sessions have passed since then, yet the bill has not yet been introduced. The panel that looked at the Biodiversity Bill is currently presenting its findings in advance of the upcoming session. This committee was led by BJP member Dr Sanjay Jaiswal.
The Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was also listed by the government for the Winter Session last year. In light of the Union Budget announcement of 2021 regarding the privatisation of two public sector banks, the bill’s purpose was to implement amendments to the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Acts, 1970 and 1980, as well as incidental amendments to the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. However, neither in that session nor the one after that was it brought up.
In both the Budget Session and the Winter Session of 2021, a bill with the title ‘Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021’ was listed, however, it was not introduced. The bill was intended to provide a structure that would help the Reserve Bank of India create an official digital currency, according to the Lok Sabha Bulletin. The bill also aims to outlaw all privately held cryptocurrencies in India, although it makes a few exclusions in order to advance the cryptocurrency industry’s underlying technology and applications.
Notably, the Monsoon Session is of utmost significance since it will see the election of the President and Vice President. On July 18, the presidential election will be conducted, and on August 6, the vice presidential election. The tenure of President Ram Nath Kovind expires on July 24, while that of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu expires on August 10.
The Monsoon Session of the Parliament will go on till August 12.
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